Tag Archives: sanding a stem

Restoring a Ferndown Bark L&JS Briars Silver Spigot Billiard

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a beautiful rusticated Billiard with a silver ferrule and silver spigot stem. We purchased it from an Antique Mall in Lincoln City, Oregon, USA on 08/24/2024. The pipe is stamped on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank and reads Ferndown [arched over] Bark followed by L&JS Briars [over] Hand Made In [over] England. There was a thin cake in the bowl and the rim top and inner edge had been scraped and was faded. There was grime ground into the rusticated finish around the bowl and shank. There was also some fading on the right side of the bowl toward the front running down from the rim edge to about midbowl. It was faded as if by sun or perhaps whatever had stripped the rim top. The pipe was someone’s obvious favourite and was well care. The inner edge looked to be in good condition. The oxidized ferrule and spigot end on the stem are both Sterling Silver. The ferrule bears the stamp L&JS followed by 925 on the left side. There is an LJS logo stamped in gold on the left side of the taper stem. The stem is heavily oxidized and calcified. There appears to be some light tooth chatter on the top and underside of the stem ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe earlier this morning before I started my clean up work. I have included them below. I took a photo of the rim top, bowl and the surfaces of the stem to give a sense of the condition of the pipe. The walls of the bowl had a thin cake with no lava on the rim edges or top. The stem is heavily oxidized, calcified and dirty. There are light tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the smooth panel on the underside the heel and the shank. It is clear and readable and read as noted above. The silver ferrule and the left side of the taper both have clear stamping under the oxidation that reads as noted above.I took some photos of the fading on the front and the right side of the bowl extending half way down the rusticated surface. It is wash out and matches the washed out rim top on the bowl. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed. It is definitely dirty and the silver and the stem both are oxidized. To gather backgound on the brand I turned to Pipephil’s site to see what was included in the listing there (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-f1.html). I have included both the screen capture and also the side bar below the photo I have included.Artisan: Leslie (Les) Wood. He was the master silver smith at Alfred Dunhill Ltd. before starting L. & J.S. Briars. Pipes for the European market are stamped “L. Wood” while those for US are stamped “Ferndown”. Production: ~ 2000 pipes/year (Ferndown + L.Wood) See also Elwood

The first pipe pictured in the screen capture above is stamped similarly to mine. The pipe I had in hand did not have the stars on the heel so there was no size designation on the pipe. This is a large pipe. The Bark finish is a designation used for both sandblasted and rusticated. The stem on the pipe I am working on is also not Cumberland but rather black vulcanite with a silver spigot ending.

I turned to Pipedia next (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ferndown). There is a great article there on the carver, the pipes and the workshop. It is worth the time to give it a read. I am quoting the section on the pipes below for the information included.

Due to the vagaries of international trademark law, he sold his earlier pipes as ”L.&J.S Briars”, “Ellwood”, “Les Wood” or “L. Wood”. Until recently, an average of 1500 – 2000 pipes a year were sold as “Ferndown” — named for the mansion he lives in — in the UK and US, but as “L. Wood” pipes in Germany…

…To many pipe smokers, Les Wood’s pipes embody the revival of great English pipe making initiated by Ashton in the early 1980s. The high-grade Italian and Spanish plateau he prefers is oil-cured in the tradition of both Dunhill and Ashton. The pipes are renowned for their pleasant, slightly nutty flavor and remarkable smoking characteristics. They feature impeccable craftsmanship extending to very good stem/bit work, though many pipes are often a bit heavier. The hallmark of his work, of course, is the excellent silver work. Almost all of his pipes feature rings or ferules for spigot stems. Grading is by finish: “Bark” (ca. 90%, rusticated, dark brown and black), “Antique Bark” (tan rusticated), “Reo” (brown and red, smooth), “Root” (orange, smooth), and “Tudor Root” (orange and brown smooth) and by size (one to four stars). He also designates straight grains with SG.

The pipe I am working on is as noted above a Ferndown which identifies it as a pipe named after his mansion and as a pipe made for the UK and the US. It is also as noted in red above stamped Bark which identifies it as a dark brown and black rusticated pipe.

Now it was time to work on the pipe. I started my work by reaming the pipe. I scraped out the light cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I took the cake back to bare briar. I sanded the walls smooth with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. The bowl walls looked very good with no burn damage or checking on the walls. I worked on the fading and damage to the rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. It looked much better when I had finished with the last of the pads.At this point I stained the rim top and the faded areas around the bowl with a Mahogany stain pen. It blended well with the surrounding briar on the bowl sides. The rim top looked better but I would need to polish it and clean up the finished look of the rim top. I cleaned out he internals of the shank, mortise and airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners.I polished the smooth rim top with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. By the final pads the briar really had a shine. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the smooth rim top surface with my fingertips and into the heavy rustication with a shoebrush. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I polished the silver ferrule and the spigot end on the stem with a jeweller’s cloth to clean up and prevent further oxidation in the future. The contrast between the silver and the heavy rustication is very nice. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I scrubbed the oxidation on the stem surface with Soft Scrub and cotton pads until it was much cleaner.I sanded the surface with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. I was able to remove the remnants of oxidation and the stem looked better.I touched up the LJS stamp on the left side of the taper stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I rubbed it on and worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick. I buffed it off with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It looks very good.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This beautiful Ferndown Bark Rusticated L&JS Briars Silver Spigot Billiard with a taper vulcanite stem looks amazing after the work on it. The briar is clean and the grain really came alive. The rich brown stains gave the finish a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. The grain really popped. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Ferndown Bark Silver Spigot Billiard really is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 66 grams/2.33 ounces. This beautiful rusticated pipe will soon be on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Secton. It should make a great smoker for the next trustee. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on.

Cleaning up a VPFN Cased Meerschaum Billiard with a Bakelite Stem

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By Steve Laug

This is another of the four pipes that Sonny in Salmon Arm, BC sent to me for refurbishing. He put them in the mail and I received them on Monday this week. I took a photo of the box of four pipes once I unwrapped them. There were 4 interesting and very unique pipes – a Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand Filter Pipe that is huge, an older cased meerschaum with an overclocked stem, a Dunhill Wanghee Sandblast Dublin with a Bamboo shank and short saddle stem and finally an Anima wax drip sand blast Billiard carved by Brian McNulty. All needed varying degrees of restoration. The last pipe, a Meerschaum Billiard with a Bakelite Stem is next. It is in a worn green felt covered case that has a silver decal on the inside of the cover VPFN in an oval. The case is lined with a green plush lining. The pipe bears no stamping or identification at all. There is a brass repair band with newer marks on it set in place mid-shank with what appears to be a crack underneath. The repair is solid. The bowl has a light cake in it but not thick. There was some darkening and lava on the rim top as well as some nicks. The finish on the bowl was very dirty with grey grime ground in where the fingers wrapped around the bowl. There were nicks in the finish as well. There was also a line where the meer looked clean up the front of the bowl from top to bottom. The stem has a bone tenon and is Bakelite. The stem is slightly overturned or overclocked to the right. There were light tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button. I took these photos before I started my work on the pipe. I took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the condition of both of them. There is a light cake in the bowl and it is clean. The rim top is dirty with tars/lava and some nick marks around the outer edge. The inner edge of the bowl looks to be in good condition. The photos of the stem show the light tooth marks/chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the inside cover of the case. The stamping was clear and very readable. The VPFN on the inside of the case is shown in the photo. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the beauty of the pipe.I wanted to get some background on the VPFN stamp on the inside of the case. It was obviously made to fit the pipe so the meer was also a VPFN. Now what did that stand for? I did a Google search for VPFN and was led to a description of the VPFN tying the pipe that I am working on to Vauen. I found a link to Country Squire (https://www.thecountrysquireonline.com/product-category/pipes/vauen-pipes/) and an ad for Vauen pipes. I quote:

Quality and inventiveness have a tradition at VAUEN. OVER 175 YEARS OF VAUEN – that means: over 175 years of craftsmanship and experience paired with contemporary technology.

In 1848, Karl Ellenberger and his partner Carl August Ziener turned an idea into reality in Nuremberg: in the first German pipe factory, they made tobacco pipes from exquisite wood for connoisseurs all over the world. Together with the Gebhard Ott pipe factory, which was also founded in Nuremberg in 1866, the United Pipe Factories Nuremberg (VPFN for short) was founded in 1901 .

Knowing that I knew that I was dealing with a Vauen Meerschaum. I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-v1.html). I did a screen capture of the information on the site. There was a great sidebar that gave some history of the brand. I include both of them below. There was also a note at the bottom of the screen capture below that has a link to the Vauen Dr Perl variant on the P-Lip pipe.In 1848, Karl Ellenberger and his partner Carl August Ziener establish a pipe factory in Nuremberg. In 1901 they merge with Gebhard Ott an other factory in town and they create a firm named Vereinigten Pfeifenfabriken Nürnberg (abbreviated: VPFN*). Shortly after Ernst Eckert, a member of the Ott family became manager of the society. During the 20th century Adolf, Ernst (jr) and Alexander Eckert (CEO in 2012) followed one another at Vauen’s head.* VPFN : “V” is said VAU in German (pronounce faou) and “N” becomes EN. Hence VAUEN.

I also turned to a blog written on rebornpipes by Dal Stanton (Pipesteward.com) that I quote a section from the blog below that gives a great sense of the history of the German brand and some photos from the website (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/04/27/breathing-new-life-into-a-german-vauen-6294-p-lip-saddle-billiard-for-a-special-young-lady/).

… I turn to the question of the history of the VAUEN name? I look to the History section of the VAUEN website and again, I am impressed with the presentation. Whenever I work on a pipe, and especially when a pipe name is new to me, I enjoy looking at its history to appreciate the pipe more fully now on my worktable. From VAUEN’s website:Quality and a wealth of ideas have a long tradition at VAUEN. 160 years of VAUEN: that means 160 years of skilled workmanship and modern technology and 160 years of experience in fulfilling the individual wishes of today’s pipe lovers, and those of tomorrow.

In Nuremberg in 1848, Karl Ellenberger and his partner Carl August Ziener turned an idea into reality: Germany’s first pipe manufacturer produced tobacco pipes for connoisseurs around the world using a selection of the best wood. In an amalgamation with the Gebhard Ott pipe factory, which was founded in 1866 in Nuremberg, the Vereinigten Pfeifenfabriken Nuremberg (United Pipe Factories Nuremberg, or VPFN) was born in 1901.  Under the management of Ernst Eckert, a descendant of the founding Ott family, a company was born whose products and services would shape the tobacco and smoking culture in Europe and overseas for the next 160 years and counting.

The question about the name, VAUEN, not being a name of a person and why it is capitalized throughout is explained:

In his search for a name that would be easily remembered by all pipe lovers, Ernst Eckert’s son, Adolf Eckert, coined a new name for the company in 1909: VAUEN – a composition of the first letters V (pronounced vow) of Vereinigte Pfeifenfabriken and N (pronounced en) of Nuremberg. A brand for the future was born.

Now it was time to work on the pipe itself. I cleaned the externals of the bowl with Before and After Briar Cleaner to remove the oils and grim from the finish. I rubbed it on with my finger tips and buffed it off with a paper towel to polish it up. I reamed the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. The walls of the bowl are undamaged and smooth. I also cleaned the shank and internals of the shank and stem with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol. (I failed to take photos of the process).
I polished the meerschaum surface with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. The bowl began to take on a shine. Now it was time to wax the pipe I melted some beeswax and put a cork in the bowl to hold on to. I painted the bowl surface with the wax using a paint brush I caked it on heavily and set it aside to harden a bit. I heated the bowl with a heat gun to melt off the excess wax and let it drip in the container. I wiped it down with a paper towel. It looked good and the patina deepened. I took some photos of the bowl after buffing it with Blue Diamond. It is a beautiful bowl and the marks and scratches are a well-earned part of the pipe’s story. I polished them some but did not change the profile of the pipe so some still remain. The rim top particularly shows this wear and tear and I left it to remain. I set the bowl aside and turned to address the stem. I painted the threads on the bone tenon with some clear CA glue to build them up to correct the overturned stem. I sanded the ridges smooth with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper until the fit was correct on the shank. I removed it and greased the tenon with some Vaseline to lubricate the threads to ease the turning into the shank. It went very easily and the fit showed the corrected overturned stem.I polished the Bakelite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil before I put the stem back on the shank. Once I finished with the Vauen VPFN Meerschaum Billiard with the red Bakelite stem I put the stem back on the shank and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond polish using a lightly loaded pad and a soft touch. I wanted the shine but did not want to heat the Bakelite too much or bring damage to the banded shank repair. I used even a gentler touch on the bamboo. I gave the stem a vigorous polish being careful around the repair. Since I have already waxed it with beeswax I did not give it a coat of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. It is a great piece of pipe history and looks better than when I began the process. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outer Bowl Diameter: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber Diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.06 ounces/ 30 grams. This is the last of Sonny’s pipes I had to work on. I will pack them all and send them back to him this week. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I working on it. As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Cleaning up a Brian McNulty Anima Wax Drip Sandblast Billiard

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By Steve Laug

This is another of the four pipes that Sonny in Salmon Arm, BC sent to me for refurbishing. He put them in the mail and I received them on Monday this week. I took a photo of the box of four pipes once I unwrapped them. There were 4 interesting and very unique pipes – a Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand Filter Pipe that is huge, an older cased meerschaum with an overclocked stem, a Dunhill Wanghee Sandblast Dublin with a Bamboo shank and short saddle stem and finally an Anima wax drip sand blast Billiard carved by Brian McNulty. All needed varying degrees of restoration. I chose to work on the Brian McNulty Anima Wax Drip Sandblast Billiard next. It is faintly stamped on the underside of the bowl with a single cross in a circle or what is known as a Medicine Circle. There were other faint stamps on the shank and heel of the bowl but they were not readable even with a lens. My guess is that they read Anima and possibly the date the pipe was made. There is a wax drip finish around the rim top and down the sides of the bowl. The wax drip and the bowl have a sandblast finish was dirty but had some nice grain showing through the blast. The bowl was quite clean and if it had been smoked at all it was minimal as there was no real darkening on the lower half. The precast freehand style stem was oxidized and there were tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button. I took these photos before I started my work on the pipe. I took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the condition of both of them. There is a light cake in the bowl and it is clean. The rim top is very clean with a light sandblast. There is no damage on the top or the inner edge. The photos of the stem show the oxidation and tooth marks/chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the bowl and shank. The stamping was faint and hard to read as noted above. You can see the Medicine Circle (single one) stamped near the bowl shank transition in the photo below. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the beauty of the pipe.Before I started my clean up work on the pipe I turned to my usual sources to see what I could learn about the brand. I turned first to PipePhil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a6.html). I did a screen capture of the section on Anima Pipes. From that I reexamined the underside of the bowl and shank to see fi I could clarify some of the faint stamps. There was a small C on the shank that tells me the briar is from Calabria. It also seems to bear a 04 03 stamp that tells me that the pipe was made in April of 2003 from the information below. That was information that I did not have until I read this on PipePhil.The site also had a small photo of Brian McNulty. The side bar identified him as the artisan that made the pipes. It also noted that the dot inlaid in the stem is of red clay (Catlinite) used by Indians for their pipes. The clay is the soul (Anima) of the pipe.

Sonny had told me that Brian is a Cherokee and all of this information was quite interesting to note.

From there I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Anima_Pipes). Generally, I find more information on the site that fills in the blanks a bit for me on the maker and the company. That was the case this time as well. I am including the information below.

Anima Pipes are all handmade in the USA by carver Brian McNulty utilizing the highest quality, well aged briar from many regions to bring out the free flowing forms which lie in each ebacheon. Cut to maximize the beautiful grain of the wood, these pipes provide a beautiful aesthetic and a cool and satisfying smoke to all whom have had the pleasure of packing up and lighting one of these “smokable works of art” which is undeniably Anima. With a basis in traditional styling, accentuated by artistic expression, these extremely fine smoking articles each come with an exact matching tamper to compliment each pipe. Carver Brian McNulty’s sharp eye and flair for form, symmetry, sleek lines, fine attention to detail, and uniquely inspired shapes coupled with “soul” within the craftsmanship are what set Anima pipes apart from many others. Know that smoking an Anima pipe will provide you with a dry and satisfying smoke every time as you view a truly one-of-a-kind work of art!  You might also enjoy listening to Brian Levine’s interview of Brian McNulty on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. The walls of the bowl are undamaged and smooth.

I scrubbed internals of the shank and airway in both the shank and the stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. The pipe began to look much better. To remove the grime from the sandblast ridges and valleys I scrubbed the surface with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the soap and debris. I dried it off with a soft towel. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned to address the tooth marks and chatter in the stem surface. I “painted” the tooth marks on the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter. I was able to lift the tooth marks significantly. I filled in what remained with black rubberized CA glue. Once the repairs had cured I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the stem. I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I dry sanded with each pad and wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. Once I finished with the 2003 Brian McNulty Anima Wax Drip Sandblast Billiard I put the stem back on the shank and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond polish using a lightly loaded pad and a soft touch. I wanted the shine but not the grit filling in the crevices of the sandblast bowl. I buffed it lightly with Blue Diamond so as not to get it in the grooves and crevices of the blast. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. It is a great piece of pipe history and looks better than when I began the process. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outer Bowl Diameter: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber Diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.45 ounces/ 41grams. One more of Sonny’s pipes to work on before I send them all back to him. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I working on it. As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Cleaning up a Dunhill Whangee Dublin

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By Steve Laug

This is another of the four pipes that Sonny in Salmon Arm, BC sent to me for refurbishing. He put them in the mail and I received them on Monday this week. I took a photo of the box of four pipes once I unwrapped them. There were 4 interesting and very unique pipes – a Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand Filter Pipe that is huge, an older case meerschaum with an overclocked stem, a Dunhill Wanghee Sandblast Dublin with a Bamboo shank and short saddle stem and finally an Anima wax drip sand blast Billiard carved by Brian McNulty. All needed varying degrees of restoration.I chose to work on the Dunhill Shell with the Bamboo Shank and short saddle stem. It is stamped on the underside and reads 41051 [over] Dunhill Shell [over] Made in England21. There was a vulcanite spacer between the bamboo shank and the short briar shank on the bowl. It was oxidized. The bamboo shank had some crackling and a rich patina on the surface that would continue to deepen with age. The sandblast finish was dirty but had some nice grain showing through. The bowl was slightly out of round with a moderate cake in the bowl. There was some light lava on the rim top. The short saddle stem was oxidized, calcified and there were tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button. The top of the saddle also bore the Dunhill white. I took these photos before I started my work on the pipe. I took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the condition of both of them. There is a moderate cake in the bowl. The rim top has some light lava and some damage on the right side of the inner edge. The photos of the stem show the oxidation and tooth marks/chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the beauty of the pipe.This morning I went back to the original blog describing the restoration of the previous Whangee pipe. I am including the link to the blog (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/01/08/refreshing-a-dunhill-tanshell-w60-t-1962bamboo-lovat-for-alex/). Give it a read. I am quoting my introductory comments in that blog below because they capture well the feelings I had when I first saw this bamboo shank pipe in Sonny’s box.

I carefully took it in my hands and examined it. While I have several Stanwell Bamboo pipes and older KBB Yello Bole Bamboos this is the first Dunhill that I had seen up close and personal. Alex told me that these bamboo-adorned pieces were referred to as “Whangee” pipes. I learned later that the term comes from the Mandarin word for bamboo, huáng lí and was used to describe canes and umbrellas with bamboo handles throughout the early to mid-1900s before being attributed to pipes — Dunhill’s in particular. I learned from reading on line that bamboo came to into use in pipemaking during the briar shortage that accompanied and followed WWII. As a means of saving on briar, pipemakers would extend the shank with bamboo.

The pipe was stamped on the heel of the bowl with the following nomenclature: 45051 over Dunhill Shell over Made in England. Next to that is an underlined 21which I believe designates the year of manufacture – 1981. So now I knew the date on this interesting Bamboo it is a newer Bamboo than others I have worked on.

One of the first things I like to do is to unpack the stamping and understand each element in it. I turned to Pipephil’s helpful site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/shapes-l.html). I am using the illustration below to interpret the stamping.The 45051 stamp includes the shape code 05 for a Dublin. The 4 is the bowl size the other digits 5 and 1 are a bit harder to interpret. The fifth digit 1 is not needed. The 5 may refer to the shape of the stem (in this case a saddle stem) but I ma not sure. Pipephil also has some helpful dating keys on the site that are basically flow charts that you can walk through to date your pipe (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1.html). I turned to Part 1 of the Dating Key and followed the chart. This pipe has a 21 following the England stamp. That took me to the section on the chart below (column one) which instructed me that the pipe could be dated as being made posterior to 1954.I followed the link following the “Your pipe is posterior to 1954. Narrow down your dating”. That took me to Page 2 of the dating key (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1a.html). The second column (suffix [1…4] or [11…39]) led me to the section with a 2 after the D in England. There was a directive for dating the pipe spelled out as follows: 1960 + suffix 21 which gives the pipe a date of 1981. Even though this bamboo shank Dunhill was not stamped Whangee it had all the parts that make up a Whangee. So, I googled Dunhill Bamboo Wanghee to get a bit of background on the that brand and found a link on Smoking Pipes that had some helpful information that I will quote below the link (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/england/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=235695).

It’s not everyday you come across a Dunhill Whangee, the marque’s classic bamboo-shanked pipe. Though originally incorporated into Dunhill’s lineup several decades back, when briar was in short supply, these eccentric designs caught on, and many collectors have even built entire rotations around them. You will occasionally find one on the estate market, as we do here, but they tend to sell quickly, especially if it is an older example like this ’62 edition — in part due to their general rarity, but also because of their overall unique aesthetic. You can’t find classic English designs fitted with oversized bamboo extensions everywhere, after all…

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the cake with a PipNet pipe reamer using the second cutting head to cut back the cake to bare briar. I used a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife to clean up the remnants on the bowl walls. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. The walls of the bowl are undamaged and smooth. The shank was clogged and I could not get air to flow well through it. I pushed a wire through the shank to open it up. Then I scrubbed the inside of the bamboo shank and the mortise with alcohol and pipe cleaners. I also cleaned out the airway in the stem the same way.I cleaned up the inner edge of the rim and brought the bowl back to round with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It looked much better once I had finished the reshaping.I scrubbed externals of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed off the grime and debris that came off in the scrubbing with warm water. I dried it off once it was clean. It looks very good! I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar and the bamboo with my fingertips and a shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned to address the tooth marks and chatter in the stem surface. I “painted” the tooth marks on the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter. I was able to lift the tooth marks to the place where I could sand out what remained. I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the stem. I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I dry sanded with each pad and wiped the stem down after each pad with a Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside. Once I finished with the 1981 Dunhill Shell Bamboo 41051 I put the stem back on the shank and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond polish using a lightly loaded pad and a soft touch. I wanted the shine but not the grit filling in the crevices of the sandblast bowl. I used even a gentler touch on the bamboo. I gave the stem a vigorous polish being careful around the white spot. I gave the bowl and bamboo several coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem several coats of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. It is a great piece of pipe history and looks better than when I began the process. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outer Bowl Diameter: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber Diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.16 ounces/ 33grams. Two more of Sonny’s pipes to work on before I send them all back to him. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I working on it. As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand

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By Steve Laug

When I sent back his pipes, Sonny in Salmon Arm, BC contacted me and said he had four more he wanted me to work on. He put them in the mail and I received them on Monday this week. I took a photo of the box of four pipes once I unwrapped them. There were 4 interesting and very unique pipes – a Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand Filter Pipe that is huge, an older case meerschaum with an overclocked stem, a Dunhill Wanghee Sandblast Dublin with a Bamboo shank and short saddle stem and finally an Anima wax drip sand blast Billiard carved by Brian McNulty. All needed varying degrees of restoration.I chose to work on the big Vauen Solitaire Freehand. It is stamped on the left side and reads Solitaire. On the left side it is stamped Vauen and on the underside it is stamped with the shape number 148 followed by a pair of crossed bent pipes. The finish was shiny but there was also a dullness to the amazing grain around the bowl. There were some small nicks on the bowl where it looked like it had been dropped. A moderate cake in the bowl was in the bowl and some light lava on the rim top and some darkening on the inner edge. The fancy filter saddle stem was lightly oxidized and there was tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button. The top of the saddle also bore the Vauen white dot. I took these photos before I started my work on the pipe. I took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the condition of both of them. There is a moderate cake in the bowl. The plateau rim top has some lava and rim darkening around the top and inner edge. The plateau on the shank end is dusty as well. The photos of the stem show the oxidation, stickiness from a price tag and some light tooth marks/chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the beauty of the pipe. Once again, I am including the background on the Vauen brand that I have used before. I think it is an important part of the restoration process for me. I always read over it before I start my work on a pipe. It always personalizes and adds colour to the pipe I am working on. As usual, I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-v1.html). I did a screen capture of the information on the site. There was a great sidebar that gave some history of the brand. I include both of them below. In 1848, Karl Ellenberger and his partner Carl August Ziener establish a pipe factory in Nuremberg. In 1901 they merge with Gebhard Ott an other factory in town and they create a firm named Vereinigten Pfeifenfabriken Nürnberg (abbreviated : VPFN*). Shortly after Ernst Eckert, a member of the Ott family became manager of the society. During the 20th century Adolf, Ernst (jr) and Alexander Eckert (CEO in 2012) followed one another at Vauen’s head.* VPFN : “V” is said VAU in German (pronounce faou) and “N” becomes EN. Hence VAUEN.

Dal Stanton (Pipesteward.com) wrote a great piece on the history of the brand on a Vauen pipe that he worked on. I reread that and quote a section from the blog below that gives a great sense of the story of this interesting German brand and some photos from the website (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/04/27/breathing-new-life-into-a-german-vauen-6294-p-lip-saddle-billiard-for-a-special-young-lady/).

… I turn to the question of the history of the VAUEN name? I look to the History section of the VAUEN website and again, I am impressed with the presentation. Whenever I work on a pipe, and especially when a pipe name is new to me, I enjoy looking at its history to appreciate the pipe more fully now on my worktable. From VAUEN’s website:Quality and a wealth of ideas have a long tradition at VAUEN. 160 years of VAUEN: that means 160 years of skilled workmanship and modern technology and 160 years of experience in fulfilling the individual wishes of today’s pipe lovers, and those of tomorrow.

In Nuremberg in 1848, Karl Ellenberger and his partner Carl August Ziener turned an idea into reality: Germany’s first pipe manufacturer produced tobacco pipes for connoisseurs around the world using a selection of the best wood. In an amalgamation with the Gebhard Ott pipe factory, which was founded in 1866 in Nuremberg, the Vereinigten Pfeifenfabriken Nuremberg (United Pipe Factories Nuremberg, or VPFN) was born in 1901.  Under the management of Ernst Eckert, a descendent of the founding Ott family, a company was born whose products and services would shape the tobacco and smoking culture in Europe and overseas for the next 160 years and counting.

The question about the name, VAUEN, not being a name of a person and why it is capitalized throughout is explained:

In his search for a name that would be easily remembered by all pipe lovers, Ernst Eckert’s son, Adolf Eckert, coined a new name for the company in 1909: VAUEN – a composition of the first letters V (pronounced vow) of Vereinigte Pfeifenfabriken and N (pronounced en) of Nuremberg. A brand for the future was born.

Reminded once again of the colours of the brand, I turned my attention to the pipe itself. I wiped the bowl down with some acetone on cotton pads to remove the shiny coat on the bowl and the plateau on the rim top and shank end. It came out looking better. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer using the second and third cutting head to remove the cake. I cleaned up what remained of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl to remove any remnants with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. Once finished the inside of the bowl was smooth and the briar was bare. Once the pipe was reamed and the rim top cleaned I worked on the internals – the mortise and airway in the shank and airway in the stem. It appeared that this pipe has been smoked with the filter so the inside of the shank was not as bad as I expected. The stem was more of the same. I cleaned them both with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol and the results are very good.I scrubbed the externals of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked over the plateau portions on the rim top and shank end with the soap and brush. I rinsed off the grime and grit from the cleaning with warm water and dried it with a soft cloth. It looked much better without the grime. I polished the briar by dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. By the last three pads the briar really took on a rich shine. When I get the bowl to this point in the process I use Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I work it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covers every square inch of the pipe. I used a shoe brush on the plateau to get the product into the grooves. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. Once the time has passed I wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I scrubbed the oxidized surface with cotton pads and Soft Scrub and was able to remove the majority of the oxidation on the vulcanite.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to break up the remaining oxidation. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It began to look good.I took out my box of Vauen 9mm filters and put a new filter in the tenon of the stem. It fit perfectly and sat in the stem and shank as expected. I also found a new adapter that converts the tenon from a 9mm to a regular non-filter pipe.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when I put a pipe back together, polished and waxed. I polished the bowl and stem on the Vauen Solitaire 148 Freehand with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The grain really pops with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the  browns of the bowl and shank. This Vauen Solitair 148 Saddle Stem Freehand was another fun pipe to work on. The pipe is comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 3 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/4 inches x 1 1/4 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 3.46 ounces/98 grams. Four more of Sonny’s pipes to work on before I send them all back to him. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I working on it. As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

The last of the threesome – an older Comoy’ Grand Slam 126 Pot

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one of three that was dropped off at my house on Saturday for clean up and restoration. Robert stopped by with a bag of pipes that his brother had picked up for him while hunting for pipes in New York. The lot included a Medico Ventilator, a couple of Grabows, a small salesman’s pipe, a Smokemaster, an unmarked sandblast pot, an Oom Paul Natural Grain Algerian Briar France, a Comoy’s Grand Slam Patent Pot, and an interesting KBB Yello-Bole Zulu/Yacht with a unique biteproof stem. We went through the lot and chose the three pipes that he wanted to work on. I have circled them in the photo below.All I had left to work on was the Comoy’s and I was looking forward to it. The finish was very dirty but the amazing grain could not be hidden by the grime. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads Comoy’s [over] Grand Slam [over] Patent. On the right side of the shank it is stamped US Pat. [over] 2001612 followed by the shape number 126. On the underside of the shank was the Made in England in a Rugby ball shape. Above that the number *2 was stamped which gave the size of the leather washers on the metal apparatus in the shank. The bowl had a moderate cake on the walls with a light lava overflow and darkening on the rim top and edges. The finish was dirty but there was no varnish coat on the pipe. It had a vulcanite push stem with the Grand Slam metal apparatus in the tenon. The stem was oxidized but otherwise quite clean. The top of the taper stem had an inset white line – white on each end of the line and a turquoise space between them. I took some photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work. The photos of the rim top show the cake in the bowl, the light lava build up and the darkening on the bevelled inner edge of the bowl. The photos of the stem show the deep oxidation on both sides. It is an older narrow style straight stem with no flair at the button end.The next series of photos show the stamping on the shank sides. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. There Comoy’s Grand Slam apparatus is shown in the third photo. The pipe looks quite beautiful. I have worked on quite a few Comoy’s Grand Slam pipes in the past and knew they had a unique stinger apparatus. Some came with and some without the leather washers in place on the apparatus. Some of them have been Patent pipes like this one. I turned to a link to one of the Grand Slams I had restored and reread it (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/09/05/a-tale-of-the-rebirth-of-3-pipes-pipe-3-a-comoys-grand-slam-pipe-484b-billiard/). Parts of the history I included there were really helpful. I have included some of the information here as well as some new information.

Pipephil’s site had a section on the Comoy’s Grand Slam Pipe and the information was quite helpful (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-comoy.html). I have included a screen capture of the section on the Grand Slam. The pipe I am working on now is like the first one in the screen capture below. It has the original stem with the single bar logo on the stem top like the one in the first photo below. The stamping on the shank is the same as the one I am working on. The US Patent Number in the photo is identical to the one in hand.From that read I learned that because the stem has a Bar Logo – white, turquoise, white it is an older pipe made between 1933 and 1945. After WWII the bar logo was replaced with the 3 part inlaid C. The mark on the underside above the COM stamp is a “2” indicating the size of the leather washer on the end of the metal stinger.

There was a box in the first photo to the right of the photo that took me to another page with the patent information (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/infos/comoy1.html) and some advertising and photos that made the apparatus and washers very clear. I am including those below.

I have included a copy of the Comoy’s 1936 Ad that describes the Grand Slam and the Patented stinger apparatus. The metal filter system forces the air stream through a go-between space before entering the stem and the smokers mouth.I also included the drawings from the original patent document that were on the site. They have been re-colored for Pipephil to illustrate the intention. Numbers 8 and 6 are also shown.

8 (red): hollow screw

6 (yellow): leather washerI also am including the Patent information for the US and Canada. It also includes the name of the inventor Marcel CH Jacquemin.

Patent Number 2001612 (USA)

Patent Number 341422 (Canada)

Inventor: Marcel C. H. Jacquemin (see also: Newhaven)

System patent granted in 1933 (Montreal, Canada)

I have also included some photos of the pipe taken apart so you can see the clean and unused apparatus and the stamping of the leather washer size below.Grand Slam pipes have a “*” followed by a number on the underside (*5 in the picture opposite).

The number refers to the size of the leather washer that fits on the end of the stinger.

The pipe I am working on has a *2 that tells me the leather washer size on the pipe is a size 2.

I turned to the article on Pipedia about dating Comoy’s pipes but the style of the stamping (https://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Comoy%27s_Dating_Guide#1917_to_the_end_of_the_1930.27s_.28at_least_1938.29). I have included the section and the screen capture below that date this pipe to the 1950s. I have highlighted the pertinent portions in red.

Now the Comoy’s stamp can be found in three variants in the 1950s

  1. A simple block-letter style without serifs but with the C larger than the other letters and the apostrophe before the “S”.
  2. A return to the slightly more fancy block letters with serifs and the apostrophe. (It seems that some grades carried different stamps, or at least that the stamping changed in different years for some grades.)
  3. A simple block-letter style without serifs and without the apostrophe and with the “C” the same size as the rest of the letters. This stamp was probably not used very long.
  4. A simple block-letter style without serifs but with the apostrophe before the “S” and with the “C” the same size as the rest of the letters.

Made in London England

Appears in two versions. This is again stamped in a circle with “MADE” at the top, “IN” in the middle, and “LONDON” at the bottom, with “ENGLAND” in a straight line beneath. It can be assumed that this stamp was first used in the export drive in the early 1950s. On a Bulldog Sandblast from the early 50s the Comoy name no. 2 above was used together with “MADE IN LONDON” over “ENGLAND”. There are no known examples of pre-WW II Comoy’s stamped in this way. The second version is the same as above but in a “rugby ball ” shape. This shape is verified on Comoy´s “Extraordinaire” pipes.

That article gave me some helpful information regarding the pipe that I was working on. I knew that the stamping and logos identified the pipe as having been made in following WW2 and from what I can see from the above information it is a 1950s era pipe.

Now to work on the pipe itself. I started by reaming it with a PipNet Pipe Reamer. The bowl was large enough that I used the second and third cutting heads. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I also scraped off the lava build up on the rim top with the knife. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I took it back to smooth walls. The walls looked very good with no sign of checking or burning. I worked on the rim top with spit and a cotton pad to remove the lava and darkening around the rim top and the bevelled edge of the bowl. It cleaned up quite nicely.I cleaned out the shank, mortise and the airway in the bowl with pipe cleaners (both smooth and bristle), cotton swabs and 99% isopropyl alcohol. I was quite surprised how clean the shank was. While I worked on the bowl and shank I let the stem and apparatus sit in a bath of alcohol to clean up the tars and oils and try to loosen it in the tenon. I removed it and cleaned out the airway in the stem and the stinger with pipe cleaners and alcohol. I wiped down the stinger with a cotton pad and alcohol to remove the tars. The pipe looks much cleaner and also smells fresh now! I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. With the grime removed from the briar – both the top and sides of the bowl, it is truly a beautiful piece of briar. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris on the surface. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I polished the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It removes the dust and also gives the sanding pads some bite. By the final pad it was looking quite good. Following my usual process in restoration I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to absorb the oil. I rubbed down the leather washer at the end of the aluminum stinger apparatus with a coat of Vaseline. I worked it into the leather and repeated the process. The Comoy’s Grand Slam Patent 126 Pot is finished other than the final waxing and buffing. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and gave it several coats of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad on the buffer to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 39 grams/1.38 ounces. It is a great looking pipe now that it is restored. It feels great in the hand and as it warms up it as smoked it should be even better. This is the last of Robert’s pipes that I needed to work on so they are ready for him to pick them up. I look forward to hearing what he thinks of it once he has them in hand. If the condition was any indicator it is a good smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this Comoy’s Grand Slam 126 Pot.

Restoring a French Made Oom Paul Natural Grain Algerian Briar

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one of three that was dropped off at my house on Saturday for clean up and restoration. Robert stopped by with a bag of pipes that his brother had picked up for him while hunting for pipes in New York. The lot included a Medico Ventilator, a couple of Grabows, a small salesman’s pipe, a Smokemaster, an unmarked sandblast pot, an Oom Paul Natural Grain Algerian Briar France, a Comoy’s Grand Slam Patent Pot, and an interesting KBB Yello-Bole Zulu/Yacht with a unique biteproof stem. We went through the lot and chose the three pipes that he wanted to work on. I have circled them in the photo below.I chose to work on the Oom Paul Natural Grain next. The finish was very dirty but the amazing grain stood out around the bowl and the shank. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads Oom Paul [over] Natural Grain. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Algerians Briar [over] France. The bowl had a moderate cake with some light lava overflow and darkening on the rim top. The finish was dirty but there was no varnish coat on the pipe. It had a vulcanite push stem with a tiny pointed stinger apparatus in the tenon. The stem was oxidized and it was rough to touch. There were very light bite marks on the surface ahead of the button. I took some photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work. The photos of the rim top show the cake in the bowl, the light lava build up and the darkening on the inner edge of the bowl. The photos of the stem show the deep oxidation on both sides. It is an older narrow style straight stem with no flair at the button end.The next series of photos show the stamping on the shank sides.The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. There is a small stinger in the tenon in the first photo. I removed it in the second. The pipe looks quite beautiful. Before I started my work on the pipe I decided to do a bit of research on the brand. There was nothing listed on either Pipephil’s site of the Pipedia site. I looked under French makers for both Natural Grain and for Oom Paul. There was no information. The style of the stamp, the shape and just the feel of the pipe remind me of a French made Comoy’s but there were no tangible links to that brand that I could fined online.

Now to work on the pipe itself. I started by reaming it with a PipNet Pipe Reamer. The bowl was large enough that I used the second and third cutting heads. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I also scraped off the lava build up on the rim top with the knife. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I took it back to smooth walls. The walls looked very good with no sign of checking or burning. I cleaned out the shank, mortise and the airway in the bowl and the stem with pipe cleaners (both smooth and bristle), cotton swabs and 99% isopropyl alcohol. I was quite surprised how clean both the shank and the stem were. It did not take too much to clean them out. The pipe smells clean and fresh now! I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. With the grime removed from the briar – both the top and sides of the bowl it is truly a beautiful piece of briar. I sanded the bowl with sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads. I dry sanded it and wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. I was able to remove all of the shiny coat and the bowl began to take on a natural shine. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris on the surface. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I polished the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It removes the dust and also gives the sanding pads some bite. By the final pad it was looking quite good. Following my usual process in restoration I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to absorb the oil. The Oom Paul Natural Grain Algerian Briar France is finished other than the final waxing and buffing. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and gave it several coats of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad on the buffer to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 62 grams/2.19 ounces. It is a great looking pipe now that it is restored. It feels great in the hand and as it warms up it as smoked it should be even better. I have one more of Robert’s pipes that I need to work on and then will call him to pick them up. I look forward to hearing what he thinks of it once he has them in hand. If the condition was any indicator it is a good smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this Oom Paul Natural Grain French Made.

KBB Yello-Bole Stembiter Cured with Real Honey 4261B Yacht

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one of three that was dropped off at my house on Saturday for clean up and restoration. Robert stopped by with a bag of pipes that his brother had picked up for him while hunting for pipes in New York. The lot included a Medico Ventilator, a couple of Grabows, a small salesman’s pipe, a Smokemaster, an unmarked sandblast pot, an Oom Paul Natural Grain Algerian Briar France, a Comoy’s Grand Slam Patent Pot, and an interesting KBB Yello-Bole Zulu/Yacht with a unique biteproof stem. We went through the lot and chose the three pipes that he wanted to work on. I have circled them in the photo below.I chose to work on the Yello-Bole Zulu/Yacht first as it was unique and just called out to me. The finish was very dirty but the grain was quite beautiful around the bowl and the shank. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads KBB in a cloverleaf next to the bowl/shank union. To the right of that it is stamped Stembiter [over] Yello-Bole [over] Cured with Real Honey. On the right side of the shank it is stamped with the shape number 4261B. The bowl had a thick cake but underneath there was remnants of the yellow Honey Coating that Yello-Bole draw their name from. The finish was dirty and had some peeling varnish around the bowl. The base of the bowl and shank had been flattened to make the pipe a sitter. It had a vulcanite push stem with the classic Yello-Bole Spade style stinger apparatus in the tenon. The stem was oxidized. The aluminum spacer on the shank end of the stem was oxidized and pitted. It was rough to touch. There were very light bite marks on the surface ahead of the button. The Stembiter system was unique on the stem end – a scooped out divot on both sides and then a twin bore button end. I took some photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work. The photos of the rim top show the lava build up and marks on the top and the darkening on the inner edge of the bowl. You can also see the yellow bowl coating on front side near the bottom of the bowl surrounded by the cake. The photos of the stem show the deep oxidation on both sides. They do show the yellow O logo on the stem top. The stem end shows the Stembiter system.The next series of photos show the stamping on the shank sides. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. It looks quite beautiful.Before I started my work on the pipe I decided to do a bit of work on the Patent Number and the shape number on the heel of the bowl. I remembered that Troy Wilburn, one of our blog writers and good friend of rebornpipes sent me a shape number list for old Kaywoodie and Yello-Bole pipes that is on the blog. I found it very useful and typed it into a chart format. Troy said that he got the data for this from the Kaywoodie Forums. I decided to post the chart on the blog for easy access. Thank you to the KW forum for the information. Here is the link to the full shape chart information that I have on the site (https://rebornpipes.com/2016/05/07/kaywoodie-yello-bole-shape-numbers/). The pipe I am working on has a push tenon, vulcanite stem as noted in the expanded Kaywoodie/YB charts on the above link. While there is not a listing for a 61 the numbers around that on the chart all include that the pipes had a vulcanite push stem. The good news is that I have the original stem.Troy also included the following information on the first two digits of the shape number. I quote in full regarding that below.

2-digit prefixes for 4-digit pipes – you might find an odd ball or a rare one that is not on the list.
From the time of the first Kaywoodie until 1938 for Kaywoodie and for Yello-Bole, Kaufmann Brothers & Bondy used a 4-digit number system (plus a letter sometimes) to identify the line and shape number. The 4-digits were not used after 1938. The first two, which we’ll call the prefix, referred to the finish and the second two, the suffix numbers referred to the shape number.

The 42B is the Yacht Freshman shape and the L identifies it as a large version of the pipe. Note also that the pipe was only made between 1936-1937 so it is an old timer.

Now to work on the pipe itself. I started by reaming it with a PipNet Pipe Reamer. The bowl was large enough that I used the second and third cutting heads. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I also scraped off the lava build up on the rim top with the knife. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I took it back to smooth walls. The walls looked very good with no sign of checking or burning. I heated the spade style stinger with a lighter flame and once it heated the tars that held it in place let loose and I was able to remove it. I cleaned up the aluminum stinger with alcohol and a 320 grit sanding pad to remove the debris. I set the stinger aside and then I cleaned out the shank, mortise and the airway in the bowl and the stem with pipe cleaners (both smooth and bristle), cotton swabs and 99% isopropyl alcohol. It took a lot of cleaners but I got the grime and oils out of the shank and stem. The pipe smelled of tobacco it was much cleaner smelling than previous to that. I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I wiped it down with some 100% acetone to remove the varnish coat and clean up the remnants of that finish around the bowl and shank. It came off quite quickly and looked nice. I touched up the spotty rim top and inner edges with a Cherry stain pen. It matched the colour of the rest of the bowl and shank. Once it was buffed and polished it would blend in perfectly.I sanded the bowl with sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads. I dry sanded it and wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. I was able to remove all of the shiny coat and the bowl began to take on a natural shine. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris on the surface. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I wiped down the stem surface with Soft Scrub. I used cotton pads to remove the oxidation and it was amazing how much came off with the scrubbing.I cleaned out the oxidation in the Stembiter with cotton swabs and Soft Scrub. I was able to remove all of the oxidation and the stem is looking much better at this point.I polished the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It removes the dust and also gives the sanding pads some bite. By the final pad it was looking quite good. Following my usual process in restoration I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to absorb the oil. The KBB Yello-Bole Stembiter Cured with Real Honey 4261B Yacht Freshman is finished other than the final waxing and buffing. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and gave it several coats of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad on the buffer to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 26 grams/.92 ounces. It is a great looking pipe now that it is restored. It feels great in the hand and as it warms up it as smoked it should be even better. I have two more of Robert’s pipes that I need to work on and then will call him to pick them up. I look forward to hearing what he thinks of it once he has them in hand. If the condition was any indicator it is a good smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this KBB Yello-Bole Stembiter Yacht Freshman.

Renewing an UNSMOKED Briarcraft Smokemaster Custom Made Patent Apple

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe is one that has been sitting here for quite awhile in a box of unsmoked/new old stock pipes that I have here. I went through them yesterday and sorted the out. I put all of them on the rebornpipes store but this one. There was just something about it that grabbed my eye. It is a classic apple shaped pipe that is stamped on the left side of the shank and has a white hollow star next to the shank followed by the Briarcraft logo – a B in a diamond. Next to that it is stamped Custom [over] SMOKEMASTER [over] Made. On the right side of the shank it was stamped Pat. 2.166.537. The was a white letter B on the left side of the shank – the Briarcraft logo. We picked up the pipe on 11/09/2023 from a seller in Nampa, Idaho, USA. The pipe is unsmoked and the bowl is fresh. The finish on the bowl and shank is very shiny with varnish or possibly shellac but it is peeling and cracking in places. The grain on the pipe was quite stunning and would really shine through once the finish was gone. It was an incredibly lightweight pipe to hold. The stem is dirty with some sticky stuff from possibly a price tag and some nicks and scratches from laying around a long time somewhere. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started working on it. It was going to be a pretty simple cleanup. I took closeup photos of the unsmoked, new briar bowl and rim top to clearly show the condition of both. The condition matches what I described above. I also took photos of the stem to show the sticky spots and scratches on the stem surface ahead of the button on each side. I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The varnish around the stamping and the white star is peeling and crackled. The B logo on the left side of the stem is clear and in good condition. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. I tried to capture the three holes in the end of the tenon. I laid the stem on the shank to try to capture it and I held it and took a photo of the tenon end. It is an interesting drilling that almost looks like a mouse head with the two ears.I had cleaned up a Smokemaster Bard Billiard in the past but it did no have the original stem like this one. I went back and reread the blog to remind myself of what I had learned in the process of working on that pipe (https://rebornpipes.com/2013/12/23/giving-a-smokemaster-bard-billiard-a-facelift/). I have included a bit of the information that I had included on that blog below:

I knew nothing about Smokemaster pipes and had no idea who made them. The finish and shape reminded me a lot of Dr. Grabow pipes that I have reworked but that was not enough for me. As has become my habit with pipes I don’t know about, I did a bit of research on the web and found out that the pipe was made by the Briarcraft Pipe Company. The Company was very prosperous between 1920 and 1940. They produced both Briarcraft pipes and a line of seconds under the following names: Airo, Arcadian, Briarmeer, Smokemaster, Cavalcade, Hallmark, Sterling Hall, Filter Kleen and Wimbledon. They closed their doors in 1950.

The pipe that I was working on currently was definitely made pre-1950 and the stamping was clearly made by Briarcraft. The beauty of that is that the pipe was clearly made between between 1920-1950 when they closed their doors. Perhaps when I check the patent information I will learn more and be able to pin down the date a bit more.

I turned to the article on Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Smokemaster) to see what I could learn there. I was expecting a bit of info on both Briarcraft and Dr.Grabow. So it would take a bit of filtering.

Smokemaster pipes are unusual in that they had two different makers in different time periods, and in the style of their tenon.

The tenon had a single aluminum inner tube and two holes which were meant to hold a pipe cleaner folded in half, one end in each hole. The pipes were first made by Briarcraft, in lines including the Custom-made, Standard, and Bard. That company went out of business in the 1950s. In 1967 Dr. Grabow bought the rights to the name and the system, and began producing Smokemasters in three lines, stamped 100, 200 and 300. These pipes had a red diamond logo on the stem.

In addition, both Briarcraft and Dr. Grabow made Smokecraft pipes which were not stamped with that name, but with L. L. Bean. The pipes continued to be produced into the 1990s in Sparta, North Carolina, and were offered as a mail order pipe on packets of Dill Pipe Cleaners at one point. They are no longer produced.

I have included two advertisements from the site that had helpful information on the special filter system using pipe cleaners. Read over the first advertisement below. It has the same patent number as the pipe I am working on. It also has a clear explanation of the unique pipe cleaner filter system in the stem. The second advertisement show the same pipe with the specifics of an L.L. Bean pipe that has the same pipe cleaner filtration system. I then turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html) to have a look at the information included there. I have included a screen shot of the information there. The logo on the stem of the shank of the pipe I am working on is identical to the one shown in the first photos below. I have included only the section on the Briarcraft version of the pipe made prior to the buyout by Dr. Grabow.I found out that the Smokemaster had a very unique filter system and was distinct from other filter systems in that it did not include a stinger apparatus. Rather it used a slotted tenon/tube that had two special holes in it (shown in red in the drawing below of the tenon end). A folded pipe cleaner was inserted into the two holes and extended the length of the shank. It collected the tars and moisture of the smoke and could be easily changed and replaced by the pipe smoker. The diagram below shows the design from the end of the tenon.I did a patent search and it gave me the following information. This includes both the original description by the inventor and also a diagram submitted at the time of the patent application. I found it at this site:

https://www.google.com/patents/US2166537?dq=2166537&hl=en&sa=X&ei=r2u4UtPOHI_ZoAT9moHYCg&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ

I have included that information below on the same patent number:

Description
1939 – B. M. SHOEMAKER 2,166,537
TOBACCO PIPE Filed Oct. 12, 1934 crnar B.M. Shoemaker INVENTOR v ATTORNEY Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1 Claim.

My invention relates to tobacco pipes and more particularly to the type in which the bit and bowl portions are separately united to each other.

The principal object of my invention is to maintain the smoke passage in the pipe substantially free of solid deposits, making for general cleanliness in the interior of the pipe and sweet, cool smoking qualities.

I accomplish this object by arranging within the pipe a readily replaceable absorptive member which is designed to receive condensate and solid matter from the smoke as it passes through the pipe. The preferred form of such absorptive member is an ordinary pipe cleaner which, as is well known in the art, comprises a highly flexible metallic core portion carrying a large number of bristles extending there from.

One embodiment of the invention is illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pipe; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a broken elevation view of a metallic tube or liner constituting one of the pipe elements; Fig. 5 is an elevation view broken intermediate its ends, of the form of absorptive member used in the present construction.

Referring to the drawing, and more specifically to Figs. 1 to 3, denotes the pipe bowl, 1 the bowl stem, 2 the bit and 3 the tenon by which the bit and bowl stem are separately united. The bowl stem has the usual well l4 and the bit the usual smoke or draft passage 15. The bit 12 is further provided with three bores, 15b, c, d, and forming a continuation of the smoke passage 16. A metal tube 16 is provided which is longitudinally slotted at its lower portion and through the slot l8 the products of well be omitted. The tube l6 lies in the bore 15b. The pipe cleaner is doubled upon itself and the two legs or branches of the pipe cleaner enter the bores 15c and l5d and rest there during use of the pipe. The bores 15c and l5d parallel the bore 15b at opposite sides of its longitudinal centre. The embodiment of the invention described is a very desirable construction inasmuch as it receives a standard length pipe cleaner, which in its folded position in the passage 14 is offset from the axis thereof, and which when rotated or twisted with the tenon to seat the same the folded strands of the cleaner engage and brush or clean the wall of the bore.
The operation of the device is very simple. The pipe is sold complete with the pipe cleaner in position. After the pipe has been used for a length of time it will be found that the pipe cleaner is practically saturated with deposited matter. Thereupon the pipe cleaner is simply removed from the pipe and a new one inserted in its place. If desired, the cleaner may also be used in the ordinary manner, naturally before it has become fouled, by moving it back and forth once or twice through the draft passage l5 and/or tube.

What I claim is: In a tobacco pipe, a bowl portion having a stem provided with a central bore, and a bit portion for said stem, the bit having a centrally disposed smoke passage and grooves arranged in the bottom of said passage, a tubular liner mounted in the smoke passage and adapted to project into the bore of the stem, said liner having its underside provided with a longitudinal slot opening into the grooves and bottom of the central bore of the stem beyond the bit, and an absorptive member mounted in said grooves and arranged under the liner throughout its length to receive condensate from the liner and to wipe the wall of said bore when the bit is turned.

BERNARD M. SHOEMAKER.
Classifications

U.S. Classification 131/184.1, 131/203

International Classification A24F1/00

Cooperative Classification A24F1/00, A24F2700/03

European Classification A24F1/00
I find that kind of information fascinating and am always intrigued by the ongoing urge of pipe designers to provide a cooler and cleaner smoke for the pipeman who uses their inventions. The patent information helped me to also pin down the date of manufacture. In this case I now knew that the pipe I had in hand was made between 1939 and 1950, a nice 11 year window. It was a real beauty and with the clean up it would only look better. Now it was time to work on the pipe itself.

I began by removing the peeling and spotty varnish coat with acetone on a cotton pad. What made this a bit tricky was the white stamped star outline on the left side of the briar next to the bowl. It had been painted and I did not want to damage that colour. Once the varnish coat was removed I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. By the end of the process it looked quite good. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. It works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I rubbed it down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and let it dry. With the stem cleaned up it was time to fit the tenon with the folded pipe cleaner filter as shown in the photos of the advertisements and also patent information. I took photos of the process. This Unsmoked Briarcraft Smokemaster Custom Made Pat. 2.166.537 is quite a stunning pipe now that it has been stripped and restored. The beautiful grain around the bowl works well with both the shape and the polished vulcanite taper stem. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and followed by buffing the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Briarcraft Smokemaster Custom Made Apple fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 22 grams/.78 ounces. I will be putting this interesting old timer in my own collection of unique pipes. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I appreciate your support and time!

Restoring and Restemming a John Crouch Heavyweigh Rhodesian

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By Steve Laug

A while back I received an email reaching out about a pipe that the writer, Anthony had acquired long ago and wanted to know if I had heard of it. He wrote the following email:

Hello, I am just wondering if in all your refurbishings you’ve come across any pipes stamped with the name John Crouch? I would love to send you photos but don’t see a way possible to do that. I’ve had this for 20 years and don’t really remember where I picked it up. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

I wrote him back and asked for photos of the pipe and the stamping so I had something to work with. For me this always helps in the hunt for the identity as generally it gives me a lot of information. Anthony wrote back and sent some photos for me.

Hi Steve, thank you for the quick response!! Here are a few shots I have of this beauty. It’s one of the only bulldogs I’ve seen without the double lines engraved into it. Like I said in my first message. I’ve had it for 20+ years. If I had to guess I picked it up in Colorado when I lived out there. I would love to hear what you think. Thanks again!!! ps. if you need more photos let me know. The third photo he included gave a clear look at the stamping on the left side of the shank. It read John Crouch [over] HEAVYWEIGH [over] Italy. My initial thinking before doing any digging on the brand is that it was a pipe made for a pipe shop by someone like Savinelli (Italy). It is stamped with what I think is the shop name. I think that the “T” is missing on the end of HEAVYWEIGH as the shank is to short for the stamp. But some digging will clear that up.I wrote Anthony back with what I found. I was surprised that Pipedia included the brand but not surprised that it confirmed my suspicions about it being a pipe shop pipe. Here is my email:

The pipe is a beauty Anthony. I did a bit of digging and found this information on https://pipedia.org/wiki/John_Crouch

“John Crouch Tobacconist embodies the essence of Virginia. After all, tobacco is Virginia’s oldest industry. Years ago, tobacco was believed to have medical properties and a tobacconist was consulted in much of the same way that a pharmacist is today. In those days, a tobacconist would create a blend of tobacco products to ease an ailment. John Crouch Tobacconist has been home to the Washington areas’ nicest and largest humidor for over 30 years.” Apparently they also have pipes made for them under their name. I have also included photos from that listing. Hope that helps – Steve

I am including the following photos from Pipedia and the advertising page that Anthony sent as well as they give a clear picture of the manufacturer of the pipe and the shop it was made for. Now I really want to visit this shop! Anthony wrote back and I include that below. I think his idea of calling or emailing them is perfect. He also asked if I would consider working on it if he chose to send it to me.

Hey Steve, Thanks for the info. I, too, found this but didn’t think it was associated with the shop in Virginia!!! I guess I need to give them a call or email them to try to get to the bottom of this. Thanks for the help. Actually, two other things. 1.Is there a reason so few bulldogs lack the double engraved lines around the bowl? 2. If down the line what would a refurbishing run me? Rough estimate, nothing set in stone find of thing. Again. Thanks for your quick responses and your time.

I answered him that I would gladly take on the project for him for the chance to see the pipe up close and personal. I answered his other questions about the lack of rings around the bowl cap. Some time went by and he wrote again.

I also wanted to thank you for helping me figure out my John Crouch Heavyweigh pipe!! I contacted and talked with one of the guys down there in Alexandria, VA. He said, yes, back in the 70’s they in fact imported these Italian pipes then stamped and sold them. I would love to send you this pipe for a restoration. If you could send me your address I’ll send it off in the next few days. I should have ask first if you have time or backed up on restorations? Or when would be a good time to send it to you?

I look forward to seeing what you can do to this amazing pipe. I love how detailed your blog posts and restoration process are!!

Thank you again and hope to hear from you soon.

I answered and Anthony wrote that he had sent the pipe to me. He also included another piece of information that would be important in the restoration and repair.

Hey Steve… I should tell you I did break a chunk of the stem off. I slipped off a step as I was walking down then and unfortunately one of my reactions was to bite down and it broke the mouth piece of the stem. I think I have them still. If I can find the pieces should I send them?

Thank you in advance. I can’t wait to see the transformation and the documentation on the blog. All the best!! Anthony

The pipe arrived yesterday just as I finished the repair on the table that was ahead of it. Great timing! I opened the box and took photos of the pipe as I examined it to get a clear assessment of the work that lay ahead of me. Before I took the photos I removed the Softee Bit from the stem so I could see the damage on the stem top that Anthony had mentioned. I love the shape of the pipe – to me a Rhodesian without the rim cap rings but still the right shape. The pipe is well used and must be a great smoker. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and lava on the rim top. The inner edge of the bowl is rough and shows some reaming damage leaving it out of round a bit. The finish is dirty and there are some spots of varnish or shellac remaining around the bowl and shank. There are a few fills but they are solid. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads as noted above. The stamp is clear and readable. I wonder if the HEAVYWEIGH stamp is missing the “T” but suppose we won’t know for sure. The stem is well fit but the damage on the topside was more extensive than I thought once I remove the Softee Bit. I have mad patches this big before but really never have been happy with the suspected lack of durability of them. I think this one would be better off with a new stem. I took some closeup photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition. You can see the damage on the inner edge and the generally roughness of the top and edge. The photos of the stem surface show the size of the damage. I hope you can see my rationale for restemming this one rather than making a patch that large.I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear as noted. You can also see why I wondered if the HEAVYWEIGH portion is missing the T. You can also see the shellac or varnish on the shank in this photo. To give a sense of the proportion of the of the pipe I removed the stem and took a photo of it. This will help me when I choose a new stem for it.Now to work on the pipe itself. I started by reaming it with a PipNet Pipe Reamer. The bowl was large enough that I used the second and third cutting heads. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I also scraped off the lava build up on the rim top with the knife. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I took it back to smooth walls. The walls looked very good with no sign of checking or burning. I cleaned out the shank, mortise and the airway in the bowl with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol. It took a lot of cleaners but I got the grime and oils out of the shank and though the pipe smelled of tobacco it was much cleaner smelling than previous to that. I chose not to clean the stem since I was going to replace it.With the internals cleaned I turned my attention to the rim top. I worked over the inner edge of the bowl and the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I then gently topped the bowl on a topping board with 220 grit sandpaper. I cleaned up the inner edge a bit more. The pipe looked amazingly good. I wiped down the bowl with acetone soaked cotton pads to remove the varnish/shellac coat. It was particularly heavy around the stamping on the shank – both sides. It took much work to remove the shiny coat. I sanded the bowl with sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads. I dry sanded it and wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. I was able to remove all of the shiny coat and the bowl began to take on a natural shine. I stained the rim top with a Cherry stain pen to match the rest of the briar. I also stained the lighter areas around the shank end. The rim top looked much better.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris on the surface. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I used a shoe brush to work it into the twin rings around the bowl cap. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to a new stem. I found a blank in my can of stems that was close to the right diameter and just slightly longer. With a few adjustments to the tenon and the diameter at the shank the fit will be good. You can also see the large broken chunk missing on the original stem in the photo below. In the second photo below, I knocked off the casting debris with a Dremel and sanding drum in preparation for using my tenon turning tool.I used the PIMO tenon turner to bring the tenon down close to the size that I wanted. I do this in stages as the tool can chip the tenon if you take too big a bite at one time. The second photo shows it getting closer. I paused mid turn to show how it cuts away material. Once I cleaned it up the fit was very close. Some sanding would make the fit perfect. I used a small flat file to remove the casting marks on the sides of the stem and fine tune the tenon fit in the bowl and took some photos of where it stands at this point.I started sanding the diameter of the stem to match the shank and then decided to give it a quick bend. I heated it with the flame of a lighter until the vulcanite was soft then bent the end to get the angle correct. I checked it against the original stem and the bend matched. Good to go! Now I had a lot of hand sanding to do to trim back the diameter to fit the shank. I do this next part all by hand with the stem removed and constantly putting it on the shank and checking progress. It is tedious so I can think of other things while sanding. It makes the process a bit of a respite. I can’t tell you how many hours of sanding this took but it is finally there. The fit is right and now it is time to polish it. Once the fit was correct, I started polishing out the scratch marks and smoothing the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It removes the dust and also gives the sanding pads some bite. By the final pad it was looking quite good.Following my usual process in restoration I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to absorb the oil. The John Crouch Heavyweigh(t) Rhodesian has been restemmed and is finished other than the final waxing and buffing. I polished the new stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and gave it several coats of carnauba. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad on the buffer to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.59 ounces. It does not feel heavy and the weight certainly does not put it in a heavy category for me. I will be sending it back to Anthony shortly. I look forward to hearing what he thinks of it once he has it in hand. If the condition was any indicator it is a good smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this John Crouch Heavyweigh(t) Rhodesian.